3Dnatives

Looking for something new to 3D print?

You don't need to design everything from scratch. There are platforms where makers share thousands of ready-to-print models for free, from everyday gadgets to engineering parts.

Swipe through 10 websites where you can download free STL files, and save this post for your next print.

Which one do you use the most? Tell us in the comments 👇

#3Dprinting #STLfiles #3Dmodels #makers #additivemanufacturing

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22 hours ago | [YT] | 7

3Dnatives

Denmark sets one of Europe’s tightest cost caps on subsidized housing, a limit strict enough that it has stifled new affordable construction for years. 🏠

In Holstebro, a 3D printer just circumvented this issue.

3DCP GROUP has completed Skovsporet, “The Forest Trail”, a 36-apartment student village now standing as Europe’s largest 3D printed housing development.

Printed on site with a COBOD International BOD3 construction 3D printer for housing association NordVestBO, the project came in comfortably under the statutory cap, with sculptural, curved buildings.

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5 days ago | [YT] | 5

3Dnatives

Bambu Lab's first product outside 3D printing is here: the R1, a 55W CO2 laser that aligns its own beam in about a minute, refocuses on curved surfaces, and runs at up to 1000mm/s.

#BambuLab #LaserEngraving #LaserCutting #3DPrinting #3Dnatives

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1 week ago | [YT] | 12

3Dnatives

Scientists 3D printed a protein cookie from a plastic bottle... Would you try one? 🍪

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4 weeks ago | [YT] | 14

3Dnatives

Today, most 3D printers are sold as "plug-and-play" appliances. You unbox them, plug them in, and hit print. It’s seamless, reliable, and convenient. But it wasn’t always this way. In 2005, Dr. Adrian Bowyer launched the RepRap project, with the vision of creating a self-replicating machine.

Two decades later, the DIY builder ecosystem is still present, with two main paths:
🛠️ 1. Pure Open-Source Projects like Voron, where every screw, extrusion, and printed component is sourced individually. Maximum freedom, zero compromises, and a masterclass in custom engineering.
📦 2. DIY Printer Kits Curated sets containing all the components and instructions you need. Kits hit the sweet spot: they are significantly more budget-friendly than pre-assembled units AND force you to understand the mechanics of your machine. While FDM machines dominate this space, there is one unique technological outlier breaking the mold...

👉 Swipe through the carousel to explore the top DIY 3D printer kits of the year (and see what that mystery outlier is at the end)!

#DIY #3dprinting

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1 month ago | [YT] | 36

3Dnatives

400 million tennis balls are thrown away every year, and each one can take over 400 years to decompose 🎾🗑️ SLICE turns that waste into footwear.

Created by Soroosh Riazi Isfahani for the James Dyson Award 2026, the project skips energy-heavy shredding. Instead, Isfahani uses custom 3D printed guides to clamp each ball and secure the blade path. He then cuts the ball into precision bands, shaped over a shoe last and finally sewn with discarded racket strings.

Would you wear them? 👟 Full story at 3Dnatives.com

#3dprinting #additivemanufacturing #circulardesign #tennis

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1 month ago | [YT] | 5

3Dnatives

Can AI create your next 3D model? 🤖👀

We’re breaking down some of the top AI 3D model generators you can try right now, featuring Fast3D, Hi3D, MeshyAI, Neural4D, Hyper3D | Rodin, and Tripo AI.

#3DModeling #AI #3DPrinting #AI3D

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1 month ago | [YT] | 6

3Dnatives

Almost 7°C cooler, no electricity. 🧊

TU Graz is 3D printing porous ceramic cubes that cool rooms by evaporation alone. A 2 by 2 m wall is already standing on campus.

Would you swap your AC for a wall of clay? 👇

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1 month ago | [YT] | 8

3Dnatives

This is what medicine looks like when 3D printing gets involved.

The world of medical AM is full of promise. Are you leveraging it to its full clinical and operational potential?

On October 21, 2026, we're bringing together clinical leaders, medical executives, and pioneering engineers for a 2.5-hour briefing. We aren't just talking about machines. We're discussing the future of personalized medicine, and the challenges that stand between this technology and the patients who need it most.

ADDITIV Medical, 9th edition. Virtual, 4:00 PM CEST / 10:00 AM EST.

Register here: app.swapcard.com/login/event/additiv-medical-2026/…

#AdditiveManufacturing #3DPrinting #MedicalDevices #ADDITIVMedical

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1 month ago | [YT] | 19

3Dnatives

Could cyborg cockroaches become the next search-and-rescue team? 🪳🤿

Using custom 3D-printed diving suits, researchers enabled Madagascar hissing cockroaches to survive underwater while being remotely guided. The wearable system acts like a miniature scuba tank, supplying oxygen directly to the insects as they navigate environments too dangerous or inaccessible for humans and traditional robots.

Would you send them into a disaster zone? 👀

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2 months ago | [YT] | 24